Cooking appliances, and in particular electric cooking/grilling devices such as griddles, are known. One type of known grilling devices typically evidences a lower housing having a lower heating plate and an upper housing having an upper heating plate, wherein the heating plates are typically heated by an electrical resistance heater. A handle attached to the upper housing allows a user to elevate the upper relative to the lower housing to accommodate a food item therebetween to be heated. The food item typically rests on the lower heating plate while the upper heating plate is lowered on top of the food item, such that both sides of the food item are heated simultaneously, thereby cutting down on cooking time.
While existing grilling devices are generally suitable for what is regarded as ordinary performance, there is room for improvement in terms of functionality, ease of use and ergonomics. In particular, existing grilling devices are typically capable of performing only a small number of functions, thereby limiting the types of food items that can be heated or cooked or limiting the types of heating or cooking that can be accomplished.